


Swimming Lessons

by CocotteJenn



Series: Warden Ana Surana - Sad Mages Worldstate [6]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Blushing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, I Love You, Light Angst, Panic, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CocotteJenn/pseuds/CocotteJenn
Summary: Growing up in the Circle, Surana never learned how to swim. Alistair takes it upon himself to teach her.





	Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> I invite you all to go look at [the wonderful art by Froschkuss](http://whereismywarden.tumblr.com/post/180525580496/half-of-learning-how-to-swim-is-getting-into-the) I commissioned for this fic!

There was a small cove along the shores of Lake Calenhad, near Redcliffe. Growing up, it had been Alistair's favourite place. Teagan would take him there whenever he visited to teach him how to swim. He wondered if his uncle had done the same for Connor after he'd been sent to the Chantry. Most likely.

After their long trek through the Frostback Mountains, their brush with death fighting a high dragon, and finally curing Arl Eamon, their little group had chosen to stay in Redcliffe for a couple of days to recuperate before heading to Orzammar. So Alistair had decided to take everyone to the cove for some well-earned respite. Or half of everyone, as it turned out. Morrigan, being her usual surly self, refused to join them - _good riddance_ , Alistair thought. Sten would not partake on the grounds that they did not need further distraction sidetracking them from their mission - _a fair point_. And Shale, being a mountain of rocks, would only end up sinking at the bottom of the lake. None of their refusals had surprised Alistair in the least.

Ana, however, remained a mystery to him. He had been so sure she would accompany them, it had shocked him when she had said no. She wanted to catch up on her reading, she had told him with an apologetic smile. Alistair had been disappointed to hear that, but he hadn't insisted.

When they returned from their little excursion over an hour later, Ana still had her nose stuck in her book.  _ Was she blushing? _

“Some book this must be,” Alistair teased her, “to keep you away from me.”

She paused long enough to give him a soft kiss. “It's very captivating indeed.”

“What is it about anyway?”

“Naughty templars.”

His face grew warm. “And by ‘naughty templars’ you mean ‘playing pranks on the Revered Mother,’ right? That's what I would have done.”

She chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are?”

“Once or twice, yes.”

“Give me a few minutes to finish this chapter and then I'll show you the kind of shenanigans they get up to.”

_ Maker's breath! _ “As tempting as it is, I was hoping I could take you out for a walk, maybe watch the sunset together. What do you think?”

Her smile grew wide. “I would love to.”

Twenty minutes later, they sat together on the shore, their arms around one another, watching the sky turn pink. The moon rose high as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. It was beautiful. The way the light danced in Ana's eyes was bewitching. Alistair wished he could capture it in a painting. 

“Can I ask you something, now that we're alone?”

She shrugged. “Sure.”

“What was the real reason you didn't come with us?” He felt her body tense against him. “That book could have waited an hour. And I know it couldn't have been modesty, you've never been shy about your body before.”

Ana rose to her feet in a quick motion. “We should head back to camp before everyone starts to worry.” Turning her back on him, she started walking away as fast as she could without actually running.

“Ana, wait!” Alistair went after her, shortening the distance between them in a few strides. “Is it something I did? Or said?”

She stopped in her tracks, but wouldn’t turn around to face him. “I- No, of course not. I’m just hungry, that's all.”

“Please, talk to me,” he said, caressing her arm with his knuckles. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

She sighed, keeping her head low. “I can't swim,” she mumbled, her voice laced with shame.

That took him by surprise. “Really? But with the Tower of Magi is in the middle of a lake…”

Angry tears filled her eyes. “Oh right! Silly me! I forgot about that one time the Templars taught all of us mages how to swim!”

He took a step back to give her enough space to vent her feelings. “I… sorry. Wynne can swim. I didn't think… I'm so stupid.”

Her face softened. “No, you’re not. You couldn’t have known. I’m sorry. I shouldn't have snapped.” She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. “It's just- It's just another reminder that I’m a freak who should be locked up in a tower.”

“A lot of people don't know how to swim, Ana. There's no shame in it.” 

Alistair pulled her into a warm, comforting hug and let her cry into the crook of his neck. He forgot sometimes that she never had a real childhood, that she grew up trapped in that blasted tower, imprisoned like a common criminal.

“I'm sorry I overreacted,” she sobbed against him.

“It's not your fault.”

He reached down to kiss her forehead and wiped her tears with his thumbs. “I could teach you,” he offered softly. “If you want me to, that is.”

She hesitated, her face contorting into a grimace. He tried to give her an encouraging look.

“The others can't know about this,” she warned him.

“I'm sure they would understand.”

“I know they would,” she sighed. “But for once in my life, I'm more than a Circle mage. I don't want them to remember how abnormal I am.”

“I won't tell a soul, I promise.”

The shadow of a smile returned to her lips. “Thank you, Alistair.”

Taking her by the hand, Alistair guided her to a secluded spot where they were less likely to be spotted. They dressed down to their small clothes, the moonlight caressing the soft curves of Ana's body. A blush crept up his face when she pulled her shirt over her head, revealing her scar-covered belly and a thin piece of cloth covering a small pair of breasts. Increasingly aware that he might be staring at her like a creep, Alistair turned around to give her a bit of privacy.

Her laugh echoed through the night. “You know, I have a feeling it's going to be very difficult for you to teach me anything if you won't even look at me.”

“I don't want you to think I'm some kind of pervert or something.”

“Hmm hmm… And you also expect me to believe you didn’t get an eyeful when we were in the Temple?” she teased. “Not to mention all these nights playing cards.”

He may have glanced once or twice in her general direction. Briefly. Very briefly. Feeling his face flush hot, he cleared his throat to regain his composure. “I- What? No, I would never… I mean, I… What was the question again?”

“So chivalrous. I, for one, really liked what I saw.”

_ Maker's breath! _ That woman was going to be the death of him.

“I was trying to be a gentleman, you know. But you're making it very hard.”

“Is that so?” she purred, the double meaning behind her words making his cheeks burn even hotter.

“You are such an evil woman sometimes.”

“You're so cute when you're flustered.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into a passionate kiss, pressing herself against him in a way that made being gentle very hard indeed.

He gently pushed her away. “Are you trying to seduce your way out of this swimming lesson?”

She bit on her lower lip flirtatiously. “Is it working?”

“If your goal was to make me want to jump into the cold water faster than a charging bronto, then yes, it worked like a charm.”

On that note, he jumped feet first into the lake, making the water splash in all direction. When he resurfaced, Ana hadn't moved an inch. She was staring at him with dread. Alistair swam closer to the shore, giving her a comforting smile.

“It's all right, I'll catch you.” But she remained stiff. “If you’d like, you can sit on the edge and I’ll help you down,” he suggested.

She approached him slowly, cautiously. She sat on the edge as he'd instructed, her feet skimming lightly over the water.

Alistair brushed her bare legs with a slow, tender touch. “Trust me?” 

Their eyes locked onto each other. He tried to convey as much reassurance as he could on his face until, eventually, Ana nodded with decisiveness. Alistair put his hands around her waist to pull her into the water. She didn't weight much, he mused, no more than ninety pounds. It was a compliment to her skills that she could face darkspawn by the dozen.

He had barely taken her off the ground that Ana immediately grabbed his shoulders with a firm grip and wrapped her legs around his hips just as tightly. She held onto him like a bear. He almost laughed at her overreaction - more a gentle teasing than a mean, hurtful laugh - but she was clearly terrified. He had never seen her so scared before. Considering they had fought a powerful high dragon less than a week ago, that said something.

Alistair stroked her back with soothing circles. “It's all right, I've got you. You can let go a little.”

Her grip loosened slightly, but she didn't dare switch position. At least, he could breathe a little more easily. 

He planted a small, reassuring kiss at the base of her jaw. “Half of learning how to swim is getting into the water,” he told her. “You’re doing great, love.”

She relaxed a little more. Alistair waited until her breathing was steady to suggest moving on with the lesson. “I was thinking we could start by learning how to float.”

Her body tensed again. The air around them grew increasingly cold. There was a shift in the Veil.  _ Magic _ . Alistair could feel the mana swirling through her body.

“Ana, you need to stay calm,” he warned her softly, trying to sound more confident than he actually was. “You're not in danger. I won't let anything happen to you.”

She exhaled deeply and the temperature slowly rose back to normal. “Sorry.”

“Do you want to get out of the water?” he murmured, his words laced with all the love and worry he felt for her.

“No, I want to do it. I'm sorry I lost control for a second.” Her voice was a lot more steady than he had expected. “Let’s float.”

Alistair helped her get into position, her back into the water, her face staring up at the night sky. “Good,” he said. “Now open your arms wide.” She gave him a panicked look, her body tensing up again. “I promise I won't let anything happen to you. Not ever. And remember, we can get out of the water any time you want.”

Taking deep breaths, Ana slowly let go of his shoulders and spread her arms into a T position. Once she seemed comfortable enough, Alistair released her. She barely noticed the absence of his touch, her eyes locked onto the stars.

Her broad smile was breathtaking. “I’m floating,” she gasped, more to herself than to him.

“You’re floating.”

She was so beautiful, like an ethereal elven goddess. The reflection of the moon was shining in her silver eyes, and in the small droplets of water adorning her belly. How did someone like him get so lucky?

“The stars are so radiant tonight,” she whispered.

“Not as much as you,” he said. She let out a loud snort and he couldn't help but laugh with her. As true as it was, that was still a very cheesy thing to say. 

He raised his head toward the sky. He wanted to impress her with his knowledge of astronomy, but he was ashamed to admit there were very few constellations he could recognize. “The Sword of Mercy is very clear,” he said when he finally made out the shape of the blade.

“It was always the first one visible from the Tower. Almost like a warning.” Of course, the Sword of Mercy represented a bad omen for her. It was the Templar Order's symbol, the very people who had oppressed her for years. “In Tevinter, it’s called Judex and it symbolizes justice and the passing of a sentence,” she continued, apparently unbothered by that fact.

“Do you know any of the other constellations?”

“There’s the High Dragon, a little to the left. Draconis. And the boat-shaped one next to it? It’s called the Voyager, or Peraquialus in Tevene.”

“How do you know all these things?”

“Not much else to do in the Tower beyond reading books and having sex.”

His face burned hot. Again. Why did she have such an effect on him? _Quick! Change the subject!_

“Do you want to try it on your stomach?” The words had barely left his mouth that Alistair felt the heat in his face increase tenfold. “Floating, I mean.”

“Is it more difficult?”

“A little. You have to remember to keep your face above water, but I'll let you hold on to me.”

“All right, I trust you.”

He scooped her up. “Put your hands around my neck.” She did as instructed and Alistair moved her so that they would stand face to face again. “Try lifting your legs. Good. Now I'm slowly going to back away. Don't worry, I've still got you.” She held onto him harder regardless. “Try paddling with your feet a little. You've seen how Barkspawn swims? Do the same.”

“His name is Rabbit,” she reminded him as she started kicking.

“But Barkspawn is such a better name,” he pouted. She gave him a disapproving glare. “Fine. He's your dog after all,” he laughed, rolling his eyes for good measure. “You do know rabbits look nothing like dogs, right?”

“Yes?”

“Did you just answer me with a question?”

“Well, I've never seen a rabbit before. All I have is this crude drawing one of the templars drew for me once.”

The image of the tortured young templar they had met at Kinloch Hold flashed into his mind. He felt a tightness at the memory. The encounter had left Ana utterly crushed. She had been unable to sleep for days after dealing with the swarm of demons. Alistair had sat with her by the campfire on those long sleepless nights, arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively.

“I love you.” The words came out of his mouth before he could even think about their implications.

Ana's eyes went wide. “What?” She instinctively tried to take a step back, forgetting for an instant that they were in the water, and almost went under when she lost her grip on him. Alistair quickly grabbed her by the waist to keep her afloat.

“I… You know what, forget I said anything.” Maker, he wished he could just sink at the bottom of the lake. “We should head back to the castle. Are you hungry? I'm hungry. So hungry I could eat an entire ram and still have room for more.”

“Alistair, wait. Look at me.” He forced himself to meet her eyes. There was nothing but kindness in those eyes. It reassured him a little. “I care about you - a lot - but this isn't easy for me. I didn't exactly grow up in a positive environment.”

“I'm sorry I sprung that on you.”

“In the Circle, love is such a foreign concept. It's a feeling most of us actively try to avoid because it's a weakness the templars can use against you. I guess I just built a brick wall around my heart so I wouldn't get hurt and…” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I need some time to process what I'm feeling. Although if you don't want to wait for me, I can understand.”

A wave of relief flooded through him. “Are you kidding? I said I loved you and I meant it. I’ll give you all the time and space you need.”

“You're a great man, Alistair, ” she said, her eyes growing wet. “I don't know if I deserve you.”

“I'm the one who should be saying that. You're amazing. You're smart, and beautiful, and so brave and I… Is it okay if I say it again?

Her beautiful smile found its way back onto her lips. “You can say it as often as you want.”

He smiled back. “I love you.”

She brought her face closer to his and kissed him. A gentle kiss at first, before she grew eager and her tongue slipped inside his mouth. She might not have been able to say it yet, but Alistair was certain he could feel all the love they felt for each other in that kiss.


End file.
